The Simple Hack For Removing Moss From Your Driveway And Sidewalk

When bright green moss starts to invade your driveway, sidewalk, or other hardscape, it can make them slippery, sometimes even dangerous — and at times, even unsightly. When this happens, you may think it'll take an expensive service or product to clear the growing moss out, but there's actually a simple hack that uses a product you already likely have sitting in your cupboard: baking soda.

The reason baking soda — also known as sodium bicarbonate — works on removing moss is that it changes the pH balance in the areas around where the moss grows. Moss needs a moderately acidic setting to grow well, but the baking soda increases the pH in the area so the moss becomes unhappy and eventually dies off.

What's best about using baking soda is that, unlike a lot of highly toxic, strong chemicals used for killing weeds, baking soda is safe for the environment, people, wildlife, and pets. While you can get little boxes at the store for around $2 to $3, larger boxes, bags, and tubs are also available at hardware stores and online if you have a larger area, like a driveway or sidewalk, you're going to be needing to cover.

The supplies and tools you will need to use the baking soda method for removing moss from your driveway or sidewalk are nothing fancy: a garden hose (preferably with a spray nozzle), gloves, water, and, of course, baking soda. You can also use a spray bottle instead of a hose if you're treating a smaller area.

The first, and most important step, of this simple hack is to completely soak the treatment area. You want the growing moss to be saturated with water so that the baking soda will be completely absorbed into the area where the moss is growing, and also so that it'll properly adhere to the surface of the moss. Let the water sit for two to three hours before applying the baking soda.

Note, because you want the moss to still be damp when you're working on it, it'd be best not to do the treatment on a particularly hot or sunny day so that the water won't evaporate before you're ready to begin.

The second part of this moss-removal hack is to apply the baking soda to the wet moss. There are three basic methods you can try on your driveway or sidewalk: dry powder, mixed paste, or a spray solution.

The first method is by far the simplest: After you've thoroughly wet the moss, liberally sprinkle the area with baking soda and let it work its magic in killing off the moss. When the moss turns brown, remove it from the area, either by hand or with a tool.

The second option is to make a paste out of baking soda and water and then apply it to the moss, either with your gloved hands or some sort of tool — even a spatula works — to get it evenly distributed over the area. This method is particularly good for areas with a lot of crevices (like cracks in a driveway or sidewalk) so you can really make sure the paste gets into all the nooks and crannies.

The third method for this hack is to spray the moss with a baking soda solution. Mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of water, or 1 cup of baking soda with 1 gallon of water. Once you've got your mix, spray the growing moss directly using a spray bottle, or for larger affected areas — like your entire driveway and/or sidewalk — use a garden sprayer attachment. Note that this is a weekly treatment, and it could take a couple months before the moss is completely removed.